Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-30
THE CALIFORNIA BOON.
What Real Estate gent Has to Say of
San Dlego-CJclones, Dust, and an Over.
Estimated CHM ate.

What Real Estate sgent Has to Say O
San Dlego-Cyclonss, Dust, and an Over
Estimated Climate.
Kansas City Journal, December IS.
The following extracts from a privat
; letter from San Diego to q gentleman il
this city, will prove Of interest in connec
ton with the recent and growing convic
ton that the great Southern Californi
: boom WAS and i ) largely a matter of pur
and simple wind:
Ssn Diego, like mos
other cities in this state, is kept up b.
excitement. There are 700 real estat,
agents here, and some of them have cor
net bands of twenty pieces play
ing and perading the streets will
banners and omnibuses and carrisge.
with fue paintings Of new town lots to be
sold at auction. Free excursions run tc
the site, and in the evening there is ar
auction sale with "csppers" all through
the crowd to bid and mislesd the slender
feet" In this way they rope in many 6
good man, and after he gets stucks he
makes another good "cspper." The bands
are playing nearly ell the time to draw ur
a crowd and sell lots. They are the great
est swindlers snd liars 1 ever saw. YoU
know how hard q real estate agent can liz
when he wants to sell a lot. Well, there
are 200 agents here, not including
and myself, and they can beat me lying
IL is stated that the real estate agents
have done more for this town than the
Santa Fe railroad, and there is no doubt
Of it.
Now as to the climate. 1t is generally
overrated. You know this is the rainy
season here. One needs an overcoai
morning and evening, and then one is
quite liable to take cold. There are
hundreds coughing, quite number with
sore Threats, and one must be So careful
here as in The east. The streets are very
muddy after a rain, for there were at least
eight inches of dust in the streets lust
before the rain. This wss after we got
here and was said to be the first rain in
nine months, or since last January. This
country is no account without irrigation.
Water Is scsrce, and nearly everyone is
complaining OF pain in the back and various
kidney complaints, from the alkeli in the
drinking water. Still there are 700 real
estate agents to talk for the town and
claim that 1t will be all right when they
get in other water.
Nearly all the streets are to have motor
lines and the additions, about 800 in num-
Der, covering space nearly IS large as
London, are also Gil to have motor lines,
waterworks, street cars and electric
llghts-so say the agents.
As for me, l have got all I want Of
this country. wish 1 had taken your
advice and not come here. but will remain
until spring now that am here. The ex-
citement will soon die out. The real es-
fcfA 10 al TIT % An
times. They can now see that they have
run the boom into the ground by forcing
prices so high that none but big moneyed
men can buy or speculate. They are all
gambling; very few buy to hold, as real
estate has been run up 1000 per cent in
the last year. The old timers call pur-
Lots Of them are sho wing the white
feathers and are getting weak kneed.
The country back Of San Diego is
cattle are the poorest ever saw.
l was down to the landing the other
day and saw one of the largest steamers
Pacific, discharging her freight. It was
all something for Us to live on for there
is not one thoussndth part of what the
the surrounding country is very rough
and wherever little level spot can be
found there is sure to be town laid out
and bsnd playing to let people know of
the new discovery.
London is nowhere in comparison to
this place, to hear the agents talk. Land
is selling at from 500 to $1,000 per foot
near this alksli watered to Hn, and water
scarce at that. am sure that at these
prices one cannot realize one-half of l
per cent. on the investment. People may
live on climate for year or so, but like
everything else it gets monotonous, and
they will be slad to seek some place
where there is more tillable soil and
where one can produce more to the acre
without qusrrerlng with his neighbor
about water to irrigate his crops snd
wa ding in the mud in his little garden
spot. hsve seen them roll up their pants
above their knees and wade in the fields
OF mud and water trying to food their
barley and wheat crops and then have
cramps and rheumatic pains for week
afterwards. Give me Kansas with all i
drawbacks in preference to this country
at the prices asked for land.
Now let me say right here that If any Of
my friends contemplate coming out here
that, unless they have sold mine or
have made sudden raise in Kansas City
real estate, they had better stay where
they are.
The additions to Los Angeles are more
than ten miles square, with five acre lets
for ten miles more and ten-acre lots Tor
fifty more. To ssy that the people are
wild is putting it very mildly. AS
friend remarked, they are simply crazy
and are easily deceived at this time
of year. In leaving the snowy
region and coming here, finding every
thing green and the flowers in bio m, the
grass in the foothills up as in spring in |
the east and an abundance of wild flow
ers, the contrast is so great that. had l
not lived here SO long and known the |
country so well, would have been taken
in like thousands of others. But have |
seen the dust SO thick that when vehicle |
passed could not see the other side of |
the street.
Talk about cyclones! II we did not |
have one last night then Kansas never had |
any. We had q storm that rooted up |
large trees and demolished sever.l large |
buildings. Still they say: "Oh, what
delightful climate" One needs an over
coat here just as much as IN Kansas City,
and you are more liable to take cold.
Mechanics get good wages, but there
are many out of employment. Still more
are advertised for on the hotel at Corona
DO beach, but that is all managed through
the Santa Ee Railroad hear that alreadv